"Howard?" the ghost of his old friend responded. "Where is Father?"

Upon hearing this question, Catherine pulled Howard to the side and whispered into his ear, "I wouldn't tell him the complete truth. If this is, gods forbid, the actual ghost of your old friend, then we do not know how he will respond to learning about the death of his father. If, on the other hand, it is another spirit pretending to be your friend, then it may try to break out of its imprisonment if it learns its summoner has passed."

Howard simply nodded upon hearing this. As a necromancer, he knew exactly how dangerous it was to call up the spirit of the dead. He also knew how dangerous it was to imprison such a spirit, even if the summoner was well acquainted with the summoned spirit during their lifetime. Anyone would come to dislike the person who held them prisoner over time, no matter how much they originally loved them.

"I'm afraid that your father isn't available right now." Howard finally responded to the spirit. "Instead, I have come to talk with you tonight."

"Is something wrong with father?" the spirit asked, its features becoming more solid as its eyes scanned the room in worry. "And who is this?" he asked, as his eyes locked on Catherine.

"This is my close companion, Lady Catherine Devereux," Howard replied while sidestepping the first question. "Catherine, this is my old friend, Nathan Wiltshire. We've known each other since we were kids."

"Its is a pleasure to meet you," the spirit said cordially, his youthful features forming into a smile. "Have we met before? You seem somehow familiar."

"I am afraid not," Catherine replied, a fake smile plastered on her face. Apparently, she thought the ghost was trying to flirt with her, despite Howard introducing her as his close companion.

"Then you must remind me of her," Nathan commented after a moment's thought. "Forgive me. I meant no disrespect."

"None taken. After all, I am not in my usual clothing," she replied, noting her working class attire. "I am usually dressed in a manner more befitting a member of high society."

"Why are you two dressed like that?" the ghost asked Howard. "Even as a kid, you were always a sharp dresser."

"Well, look at the state of this room," Howard noted, not wanting to show his actual reason for dressing as he currently was. "It is not like just anyone can come and clean."

"True," the spirit conceded. "This laboratory is in dire need of a good cleaning."

"Honestly, this is going to take quite a few visits to sort this place out," Catherine noted.

"Indeed," Howard agreed.

"Then you will visit regularly, at least for a while?" the ghost asked hopefully.

"Yes, I think we shall," Howard responded. "Besides, we have a lot of catching up to do."

"I would like that very much," came the spirit's quick reply.

---

After making an excuse that they also had other parts of the manor to tidy up, the duo quickly left the laboratory behind.

"Howard, how long do you think that spirit has been confined in that tiny circle?" Catherine asked as they descended the stairs.

"I have no way of knowing until we decipher some of those notes that we found. The good news is that the barrier used to confine the spirit is strong enough to last for quite a while."

"How long is a while?"

"A couple of years at least," came his answer after a moment's thought.

"Then we should focus our efforts on deciphering the texts, since the spirit will be there for a while."

"Agreed," Howard answered as they reached the dining hall where Sunny and the children were waiting. Lorelei was quietly coloring at the table, and looked up with interest as the adults entered the room. Chelsea, however, was slumped over asleep on the table, gently snoring. Sunny had apparently draped a light blanket over the child's shoulders so she wouldn't catch a cold.

Howard continued quietly, "Do you want me to take it to Lovecraft Aerospace to be deciphered, or would you like to give it a shot?"

"I think that the computers could decipher it more quickly than I could. After all, some cyphers were impossible to solve until the invention of the modern computer."

"That is very true."

Just then Sunny came up to the couple and asked, "Sir, Madame, would you like some breakfast? There is just enough time between now and sunrise for me to make a simple breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast and still have enough time to make it to safety in the cellars."

"No, I should be going myself," Catherine responded. "My home is quite far from here, and it will take some time for my driver to get me there."

"Yes, Madame," Sunny said with a slight bow. "And you, Sir?"

"We should all get going so you can get home. There's no need for you to sleep in the basement tonight. I will have the daytime staff make us some breakfast when we get home."

"Very good, Sir, but we will have to hurry. Even by car, we will be cutting it close."

Upon hearing this, Sunny disappeared into another room as she quickly gathered her things and the washed food containers from the family's earlier meal. Within moments, she was back in the Dining Room gently shaking Chelsey to wake her up.

In the meantime, Lady Catherine gave her farewells. I will see you first thing tomorrow night," she whispered so only Howard could hear.

"I look forward to it, my Lady," he said at a similar volume. Then he smiled at his paramour.

Catherine returned the grin before giving Howard a peck on the cheek and rushing off.

"Okay everyone, let's go race the sunrise!" Howard proclaimed as the family left Wiltshire Manor and boarded their waiting car.